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Isaac Hayes
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Miami Vice Character
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Holiday ("Child's Play")
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Born
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August 20, 1942, Covington, Tennessee
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Died
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August 10, 2008, Memphis, Tennessee (age 65, stroke)
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Active
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1962-2008
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Spouse(s)/Children
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Emily Ruth Watson (1966-1971, divorced), three children
Mignon Harley (1973-1986, divorced), two children Adjowa Hayes (2005-2008, his death), one child |
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. (August 20, 1942 - August 10, 2008) is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actor who appeared as Holiday, gun runner in the episode "Child's Play" of the series Miami Vice.
Career[]
Hayes began as a house songwriter (with longtime partner David Porter) for Stax Records, penning the songs "Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'm Comin'" for the duo Sam and Dave, among others. For their contributions, both Hayes and Porter were inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 2005. Hayes released four solo albums between 1968 and 1970 but were not commercially successful, but he won an Academy Award and Grammy for his soundtrack to the 1971 film Shaft. His other 1970s albums did not do commercially well, but were critically praised, and he provided soundtracks for two other blaxplotation films. In the mid 1970s Hayes had to file bankruptcy due to debts incurred with Stax Records, the American Basketball Association's Memphis Sounds, as well as personal debts, and lost nearly everything.
Hayes continued to release albums but commercial success still eluded him, so he took a break from music to get into acting. He had done some acting in the 1970s in the blaxploitation movies Tough Guys and Trick Turner, later appeared in a recurring role in The Rockford Files (with Joe Santos), roles in The A-Team, the movies I'm Gonna Get You Sucka (with Antonio Fargas), Guilty as Charged (with Michael Talbott and James Dybas, Final Judgement (with Brad Dourif and Karen Black), CB4 (with Chris Rock and Chris Elliott), It Could Happen To You (with Stanley Tucci and Richard Jenkins), and Reindeer Games (with Clarence Williams III) and his final TV role in Stargate SG-1.
South Park Controversy[]
In 1997, Hayes was awarded the voice role of Jerome "Chef" McElroy on the animated hit South Park. South Park known for Its irreverent humor and satire took on the topic of Hayes's Scientology. The episode "Trapped in the Closet" poked fun at Scientology as a whole, founder L. Ron Hubbard and famous Scientology star Tom Cruise. Following the broadcast, Hayes took critical aim at show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone for their spoof of the religion. Hayes promptly quit the series and was killed off in the following "The Return of Chef" where his lines were spliced together from previous episodes. The episode satirizing Star Wars left no room at all for Chef to return, a matter made moot by the death of Hayes. During the controversy, Parker and Stone noted that Hayes had no issue in voicing Chef in other episodes that mocked other religions and pointed out Hayes's hypocrisy in condemning "Trapped in the Closet".
Personal Life/Death[]
Hayes married three times, to Emily Watson from 1966 until their 1971 divorce, they have three children, later marrying Mignon Harley from 1973 until they broke up in 1986, they had two children, finally marrying Adjowa Hayes from 2005 until Hayes' death from a stroke on August 10, 2008, in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 65. They had one son (Nana Kwadjo, born in 2006).